Sex workers have long been bellwethers for major shifts in the economy — and they’re also more in touch with military action than your average civilian.
Even if you’ve managed to avoid the news and aren’t aware of the Trump administration’s war with Iran and the skyrocketing gas prices accompanying it, erotic dancers and sex workers are paying attention and noticing a shift.
HuffPost spoke with members of the sex worker community about what they’re seeing right now and what it might indicate, using their stage names when requested, as well as their preferred titles.
Here’s how a viral video started it all.
In a recent TikTok post, erotic dancer Charm Daze posted a now-viral video about seeing an uptick in young clients who are openly discussing being deployed very soon. Charm, who is based in San Diego, captioned her video with, “In my nearly a decade in the clubs I have never experienced anything like this tbh.”
She said she was surprised and saddened by the U.S. defense and military clients’ talk of their impending deployment, as well as by their youthful appearance. She mentioned working near several military bases and described the troops she works with, saying “a lot of them are really kind” and look very young, “like fetuses.” She added, “I don’t want to spread misinformation or anything, but it’s just like, there are a lot of them.”